Courtesy of Graham & Company.
Wildwood Centre
The Wildwood Centre strip mall is currently for sale.
The owner of Homewood's Simple Auto Imports is looking to bring an indoor dealership to the Wildwood shopping center in the next few months.
Chris Stokes, the owner of the import dealership at 197 Vulcan Road, said he has been looking at the possibility for about a year. He envisions an indoor dealership specializing in mid- to high-end used cars. He set a tentative price range from $30,000 up to $500,000, with occasional vehicles coming in below that range.
Potential car brands would include Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi, Bentley and Maserati. Stokes said cars would be tested to ensure they have been cared for by previous owners.
"We do a lot of specialty cars. Cars that are hard for people to find," Stokes said. "Our plan involves carrying very well-tested and looked-at vehicles."
Stokes said he anticipates that the dealership will have a large audience due to the variety of cars that will be available. The traffic along Lakeshore Drive and I-65 should also bring in more buyers.
A location has not been chosen for the dealership, though Stokes said it would be about 10,000-15,000 square feet and would be in the Homewood side of Wildwood shopping center. Ideally, he'd like to open the dealership in the next few months.
Currently, Wildwood's planned mixed use zoning prohibits all car sales and service businesses. The planning commission is considering an amendment so that only outdoor car businesses would be prohibited. If the amendment is approved by the city council after it leaves the planning commission, then Stokes will be able to proceed with his indoor dealership.